Implement holder



April 13, 1965 H. BLOOM 3,178,141

IMPLEMENT HOLDER Original Filed March 30, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 \IEI E .27 5 29 23 I -lfi A r 1} I"" I I I I9 39 l I a: I H 1 39 w l 5/ u h ,2 a! i I} {I u h I? g I l, 3/

: l H II a 1.5 "1 H 3, 4 5 3 I5 3/ INVENTOR. HAR RY BLOOM BY WA -7 ATTORNEY April 13, 1965 H. BLOOM IMPLEMENT HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 50, 1961 INVENTOR. HARRY BLOOM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,178,141 IMPLEMENT HOLDER I Harry Bloom, 844 Linden Blvd, Brooklyn 3, N.Y. (Iontinuation of application Ser. No. 99,589, Mar. 30, 1961. This application Nov. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 322,010 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-113) This is a continuation of application Serial No. 99,589, filed March 30, 1961, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a gripping device for holding and supporting articles. More particularly, it relates to a mounting bracket on which are mounted a pair of resilient gripping members capable of free converging movement about an implement to be held.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, yet extremely effective holder for articles such as brooms, rakes, household and garden tools and other implements which have substantially straight sided portions thereon.

It is an object to provide an implement holder adapted to be employed to hold tools and articles of a variety of thicknesses or diameters.

It is a further object to produce a support which will permanently hold an article in place without slippage, while also allowing it to be readily removed from the holder without undue efiort.

Another object is to have a holder into which an implement handle can be placed with case without the necessity for precisely positioning it therein; the present holder may have a passage for the implement handle larger than the handle itself to facilitate placement of the implement, the gripping members of the invention automatically adapting to the size of the implement portion held.

it is a still further object to utilize the Weight of the article held to help force the gripping members together and so to hold the implement even more tightly.

Another purpose of the invention is to utilize resilient gripping members to increase the area of contact with the implement to be held and permit firmer and more lastin support thereof.

An additional aim is to make an article support that can readily be set at the exact height at which it is desired that the article be held.

In accordance with the present invention a gripping device for holding and supporting articles comprises a mounting bracket which has a side held to a support when the bracket is mounted for use and a pair of converging sides extending from the held side of the bracket with a passage between the sides for insertion of a portion of an article to be held, and a pair of resilient gripping members mounted on the converging bracket sides for free converging movement along said sides, the resilient gripping members having opposed gripping surfaces for maintaining frictional contact with an article to be held which is such that when the article is placed beween the gripping surfaces and in contact therewith and is moved in the direction in which the sides of the bracket converge, the converging gripping members will frictionally engage it and hold it tightly against further movement in said direction, while also being such that movement of the held article in the opposite direction will move the gripping members divergently to release the held article and facilitate its ready withdrawal from the gripping device.

The invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertically held broom in front elevation, illustrating holding of the broom by the gripping device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of the bracket with gripping members in operative closed position;

3,178,141 Patented Apr. 13, 1965 "ice FiG. 3 is a side eievatidnof the bracket in the same closed position; I V

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the bracket in open position; 7 p I FIG. 5 is a top plan of the bracket minus gripping members and riders;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a gripping member mounted on a rider, taken at a right angle to the plane of the rider;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rider, also taken at a right angle to the plane of the rider; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the opposite side of the rider.

Numeral 11 designates an implement or other article to be held by the invented gripping device. In this case that implement is a broom having a long, substantially straight sided handle 13 which is gripped and held by a pair of resilient gripping members 15 which are of rubber resilient enough to conform at least partially to the cylindrical shape of the implement handle. The grip? ping members 15 are the primary elements of a gripping device 17, which is shown fastened to a supporting surface which, in this instance, is wall 19.

Gripping device 17 has an exterior housing or mounting bracket 21 which is comprised of a substantially flat side 23 to be mounted next to support or wall 19. Screw holes 25, 27 and 29 are of countersunk shape to facilitate mounting with flat headed screws that will not block the paths of gripping members 15 as they are slid up and down. Extending outwardly (toward the user) from the wall side of the bracket 21 is a pair of symmetrical downwardly converging sides '31 which do not intersect or meet and leave a passageway between at the bottoms of the converging sides so that article handles can be readily inserted therethrough and moved between the gripping members. Passag eway 33 is bigger than the maximum thickness of the handles of implements designed to be held by the present gripping device. As illustrated, the converging sides 31 are at substantially a right angle to the wall side of the holding bracket. The front ends of the convergin sides are bent, also substantially at a right angle so that the bent parts parallel the wall side. inwardly bent ends 35 extend only short distances from converging sides 31 and also leave a vertical passageway 3'7 which allows insertion and removal of an implement handle from the front, as well as from below.

Slots, channels or passages 39 in sides 31 extend downwardly, usually parallel with the wall side of the bracket. Riding on the upper surfaces of the converging sides are riders 41 which are guided in their movements by ends 35 and by passages 39 in which pins 43 ride. Pins 43 are terminated in heads larger thanthe Width of slots 39 to prevent accidental removal of the riders from the bracket, the other ends of the pins being firmly held to the riders, as by welding or riveting. Riders 41 have sides 45 about the edges of riding surface 47. These sides help to fit and hold in place, and protect against removal to some extent, resilient gripping members 15, which are sized to fit snugly against the sides 45 and are also positively attached to upper surface 49 of the rider, preferably by cementing with a cement capable of forming a strong bond between the materials employed, usually rubber and steel, although plastic riders and brackets are useful too. Such a cement may be an epoxy resin, rubber latex, partially vulcanized rubber or any other type which can produce a strong and lasting bond. In this respect, it may be desirable to employ synthetic rubbers or other suitable synthetic plastics which satisfactorily grip articles to be held, as the grip-ping members and in such cases, it may be necessaryto select an adhesive accordingly. When the gripping members are only rubber surfaces, with the bulk of other material, similar considerations .as to the adhesive or bonding .ma-

terial will be important.

Gripping members 15 have "ripping surfaces 51 which are at such an angle to the sides 31 that surfaces 51. are substantially parallel to each other and are substantially vertical, whether together, in holding position or moved apart. As illustrated, sides 53 and 55 of the gripping members are at right angles to sides 31. This is advantageous because it provides for a greater length of gripping surface at the upper part of members 15 and loses little effective surface at the bottom, while giving a strong structure. Also, the upwardly converging sides 53 appear to facilitate divergent movement of the gripping members 15 when an implement handle is inserted in the bracket and moved upwardly. Gripping surfaces 51 may be smooth if the material employed is of high enough frictional coeflicient and if the items being supported are light enough in weight. It is preferred to utilize members with somewhat irregular surfaces 51 to increase the holding power of the present devices. Such irregularly surfaced grips may be made by cutting or scoring the gripping surfaces to a suitable depth or-the gripping members 15 may be molded to desired shape. In the illustrations are shown gripping members which are horizontally scored at a multiplicity of places. Horizontal grooves 57 assist in firmly and quickly gripping implement handles as soon as they are moved even a very short distance downwardly. ()f' special utility for certain holding jobs are gripping surfaces shaped to the handle form but these are usually unnecessary and are not illustrated.

As is apparent from the drawing and the foregoing discussion, the present gripping devices or brackets, including shaped bracket, riders held to the bracket and gripping members fastened to the riders, constitute an integral holding device which is readily installed wherever it is desired to hang the articles or implements to be supported. To install this holder, one needs merely to screw it to a supporting surface with screws through holds 25, 27 and 29. Where the gripping device is to be held to a horizontal supporting surface, an irregular surface or one at an'angle, side 23 or other portion of bracket 21 may be modified to adapt to holding to such surface but it is contemplated that normally the bracket will be fastened to avertical support.

After installation, the present invention requires no at.- justrnent but is immediately ready to be used to support articles. Because the gripping members 15 are capable of.

positively holding articles of avariety of diameters, limited only by the widths of passageways 33 and 37, the same gripping device may be employed to support a variety of implements and articles having handles of different thicknesses, such as brooms, rakes, shovels, pitchforks, pickaxes,. even crowbars and pries. With respect to the heavier of these articles, it has been established that a relatively small implement holder of the structure de-' scribed, equipped with grooved rubber gripping members having a gripping surface only about one and one-half inches high and about an inch. wide can firmly support a tool weighing as much as twenty-five pounds. As has been indicated, the present supports utilize the weight of the supported article itself to frictionally press the gripping surfaces even more tightly against the article held and thereby support the implement better as its weight increases.

To use the present holders, one needs only to insert the handle of the tool between the gripping surfaces and then release the tool. Its downward movement, begun when no longer supported by the human holder, is for only a very short distance, a small fraction of an inch, and is arrested by the inward movement of the gripping members,

caused by frictional contact of the scored gripping surfaces with the tool handle and movement of the gripping members downwardly and inwardly into firm gripping relation ship with the tool. To insert the tool handle between the gripping surfaces initially, it is usually easiest to place the toolhandle, if it is substantially straight sided and longitudinally extending, directly underneath the holder and i move it vertically upward. Such movement spreads the gripping members apart to a distance only slightly greater than tool diameter and as soon as upward movement is halted and the tool allowed to descend, because of gravitational forces, it is immediately gripped and held fast. For tools, such as shovels, which have a terminal handle portion of greater width than the rest of the handle and for tools which have only a part of the handle of substantially straight sided, preferably cylindrical structure, the straight portion thereof may be placed against the front of the holder and pressed upwardly and inwardly, which action will open the gripping members and allow insertion of the tool between them. In this respect, it is particularly advantageous to have the bottoms of the gripping members of upwardly converging disposition to facilitate entry of the tool handle between the gripping surfaces.

Removal of a held tool from the present gripping devices is as simply etfected as placing it therein. One needs only to move it vertically upward and then withdraw it by a forward movement, which may be combined with a continuing upward force, to keep the gripping members spread apart in non-gripping position. Alternatively, the gripping members may be separated by moving the article upwardly or by other means and then may be held apart manually while the handle is with rawn by a vertical downward movement. In either case operation for removal is evidently as easy as for installation.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the present device, in addition to simplicity, low cost and continued troublefree operation, is the automatically adjusting feature. The gripping members are normally in their downmost position, due to their weights urging them downwardly. The downwardly converging sides of the bracket are smooth and preferably are lubricated to keep friction between the rider and the sides to a minimum so that the weight of the rider itself and the gripping member held to it will be sufiicient to continually bias the gripping elements downwardly. Thus, at any relaxation of an external upwardly directing force, the gripping members hold the article handle. Such automatic operation and ready adjustability of the gripping members to hold different sized implements, allows the presentholdcrs to be installed in locations somewhat remote from normal areas where one can manually reach and adjust the holding mechanism. Thus, overhead locations are suitable, providing only that they may be reached by a handle portion of the tool to be held. It is not necessary to manually open and close a holding device and the present holders may be used by those whose manual dexterity is minimal, as also they are capable of use by persons with impaired sight, the automatic provisions built into the invented structures compensating for any lack of precision in employment of the tool handle.

As was mentioned previously, the holding strength of the present devices is exceptionally good. This is due to the self-tightening feautre of the structure and to the resiliency and frictional properties of the resilient gripping members. Tne rubber or other suitable plastics employed conform well to the handle surface and thereby increase the holding power of the grips. If the rubber grips are a shaped to extend at right angles to the riders and the converging surfaces of the bracket, the contact surface at the top ofithe gripping members will be increased and holding forces will be supplemented, as compared to gripping members extending horizontally from the riders. in either case it is desirable that the gripping surfaces make good contact with the implement handle over substantially their entire lengths to improve holding power.

The present invention has been described with respect to a drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment and a specification describing that embodiment fully. The invention is not intended to be limited thereto and includes within its scope all structures within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for automatically gripping and vertically supporting implements having vertically and longitudinally extending handles and permitting their ready withdrawal from said device which comprises a bracket for wall mounting, said bracket having a substantially fiat side portion for fastening onto a wall when the bracket is mounted for use, a pair of symmetrically downwardly converging sides, each side extending outwardly from the wall side of the bracket substantially at a right angle thereto with the outer portions bent a short distance inwardly parallel to the wall side of the bracket and having a vertical passage between the sides of sufiicient for insertion and withdrawal of the implement handles, each of said downwardly converging sides having an elongated slot extending substantially parallel to the wall side of the bracket and downwardly and terminated before the ends of the sides, a flat rider on each of the converging bracket sides, each rider having walls around the flat riding areas thereof and extending upwardly therefrom and with a projection fitted to ride in the elongated slot of each of the converging bracket sides, said projection holding the rider to the side, each rider being guided in its movement by the elongated opening and the inwardly bent outer portion of each converging side, a resilient ripping member attached to each rider within its upwardly extending walls, the riders with attached gripping members being held on the upper sides of the converging brackets in travel limited freely downwardly converging and upwardly diverging relationship therewith so that the weights of the riders and attached gripping members will normally hold them in downmost position, the gripping members having substantially vertical opposed gripping surfaces for maintaining frictional contact with the implement handle along substantial proportions of the vertical lengths of the opposed gripping surfaces, and the gripping members having bottom surfaces so that an implement handle moved upwardly through the passage between converging bracket sides will move the opposed gripping members upwardly and spread them apart, the frictional contact between gripping members and implement handle being such that when upward movement is stopped and the implement is no longer independently supported, it will be frictionally engaged by the converging gripping members as it starts to move downwardly and will be held tightly and supported indefinitely against further downward movement, while also being such that movement of the implement handle in a vertically upward direction from held position will move the gripping members divergently to release the held article and facilitate withdrawal of the handle from the gripping device.

2. A device for automatically gripping and vertically supporting implements having vertically and longitudinally extending handles and permitting their ready withdrawal from said device which comprises a bracket for wall mounting, said bracket having a substantially fiat side portion for fastening onto a wall when the bracket is mounted for use, a pair of symmetrically downwardly converging sides, each side extending outwardly from the wall side of the bracket substantially at a right angle thereto with the outer portions bent a short distance inwardly parallel to the wall side of the bracket and having a vertical passage between the sides sufficient for insertion and removal of the implement handles, each of the said downwardly converging sides having an elongated opening extending substantially parallel to the wall side of the bracket and downwardly and terminated before the ends of the sides, a flat plate rider on each of the converging bracket sides, each rider having walls around the flat riding areas thereof and extending upwardly therefrom and with a projection fitted to ride in the elongated opening of each of the converging bracket sides, said projection having a head that holds the rider to the side, each rider being guided in its movement by the elongated opening and the inwardly bent outer portion of each converging side, a pair of resilient gripping members, one attached to each rider and fitted within the upwardly extending walls of said rider, the riders with attached gripping members being held on the upper sides of the converging brackets in travel limited freely downwardly converging and upwardly diverging relationship therewith so that the weights of the riders and attached gripping members will normally hold them in downmost position, the resilient gripping members having substantially vertical opposed gripping surfaces for maintaining frictional contact with the implement handle along substantial proportions of the vertical lengths of the opposed gripping surfaces, and having top and bottom surfaces that extend substantially at right angles to the planes of the bracket sides, and irregular gripping surfaces to improve the coefiicient of friction thereof, so that an implement handle moved upwardly will move the gripping surfaces upwardly and spread them apart, the frictional contact between gripping members and implement handle being such that when upward movement is stopped and the implement is no longer independently supported it will be frictionally engaged by the converging gripping members as soon as it starts to move downwardly and will be held tightly and supported indefinitely against further downward movements, while also being such that movement of the implement handle in a vertically upward direction from held position will move the gripping members divergently to release the held article and facilitate withdrawal of the handle from the gripping device.

3. A device for gripping and supporting implements according to claim 2, in which the gripping member surfaces are of rubber and each gripping member is positively attached to the upper surface of the rider.

4. A device for gripping and supporting implements according to claim 2 in which the gripping surfaces contain a multiplicity of horizontally extending grooves or slits.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 649,115 5 /00 Stevens 24--249 1,221,400 4/17 Wilhelm et al 294-86 1,444,874 2/23 Hahn 24244 1, 618,623 2/ 27 Zienbinski 24263 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY GRIPPING AND VERTICALLY SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTS HAVING VERTICALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING HANDLES AND PERMITTING THEIR READY WITHDRAWAL FROM SAID DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES A BRACKET FOR WALL MOUNTING, SAID BRACKET HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SIDE PORTION FASTENING ONTO A WALL WHEN THE BRACKET IS MOUNTED FOR USE, A PAIR OF SYMMETRICALLY DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING SIDES, EACH SIDE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE WALL SIDE OF THE BRACKET SUBSTANTIALLY AT A RIGHT ANGLE THERETO WITH THE OUTER PORTIONS BENT A SHORT DISTANCE INWARDLY PARALLEL TO THE WALL SIDE OF THE BRACKET AND HAVING A VERTICAL PASSAGE BETWEEN THE SIDES OF SUFFICIENT FOR INSERTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF THE IMPLEMENT HANDLES, EACH OF SAID DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING SIDES HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE WALL SIDE OF THE BRACKET AND DOWNWARDLY AND TERMINATED BEFORE THE ENDS OF THE SIDES, A FLAT RIDER ON EACH OF THE CONVERGING BRACKET SIDES, EACH RIDER HAVING WALLS AROUND THE FLAT RIDING AREAS THEREOF AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND WITH A PROJECTION FITTED TO RIDE IN THE ELONGATED SLOT OF EACH OF THE CONVERGING BRACKET SIDES, SAID PROJECTION HOLDING THE RIDER TO THE SIDE, EACH RIDER BEING GUIDED IN ITS MOVEMENT BY THE ELONGATED OPENING AND THE INWARDLY BENT OUTER PORTION OF EACH CONVERGING SIDE, A RESILIENT GRIPPING MEMBER ATTACHED TO EACH RIDER WITHIN ITS UPWARDLY EXTENDING WALLS, THE RIDERS WITH ATTACHED GRIPPING MEMBERS BEING HELD ON THE UPPER SIDES OF THE CONVERGING BRACKETS IN TRAVEL LIMITED FREELY DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING AND UPWARDLY DIVERGING RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH SO THAT THE WEIGHTS OF THE RIDERS AND ATTACHED GRIPPING MEMBERS WILL NORMALLY HOLD THEM IN DOWNMOST POSITION, THE GRIPPING MEMBERS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OPPOSED GRIPPING SURFACES FOR MAINTAINING FRICTIONAL CONTACT WITH THE IMPLEMENT HANDLE ALONG SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTIONS OF THE VERTICAL LENGTHS OF THE OPPOSED GRIPPING SURFACES, AND THE GRIPPING MEMBERS HAVING BOTTOM SURFACES, SO THAT AN IMPLEMENT HANDLE MOVED INWARDLY THROUGH THE PASSAGE BETWEEN CONVERGING BRACKET SIDES WILL MOVE THE OPPOSED GRIPPING MEMBERS UPWARDLY AND SPREAD THEM APART, THE FRICTIONAL CONTACT BETWEEN GRIPPING MEMBERS AND IMPLEMENT HANDLE BEING SUCH THAT WHEN UPWARD MOVEMENT IS STOPPED AND THE IMPLEMENT IS NO LONGER INDEPENDENTLY SUPPORTED, IT WILL BE FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED BY THE CONVERGING GRIPPING MEMBERS AS IT STARTS TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY AND WILL BE HELD TIGHTLY AND SUPPORTED INDEFINITELY AGAINST FURTHER DOWNWARD MOVEMENT, WHILE ALSO BEING SUCH THAT MOVEMENT OF THE IMPLEMENT HANDLE IN A VERTICALLY UPWARD DIRECTION FROM HELD POSITION WILL MOVE THE GRIPPING MEMBERS DIVERGENTLY TO RELEASE THE HELD ARTICLE AND FACILITATE WITHDRAWAL OF THE HANDLE FROM THE GRIPPING DEVICE. 